Last March, my family and I embarked on a week-long adventure to England. After an exciting weekend in London, we all hopped on a train to Birmingham to visit my brother’s university campus.

Travelling this path brought back memories of a trip to the English countryside we’d made three years ago. Back then, we visited sites that made the old fashioned / dreamy person that I am absolutely amazed – you know when you literally can’t breathe because you’re seeing something extraordinary like Brad Pitt? Well, that’s how I felt when I saw Chatsworth House and Oxford University, woot woot!

If you are interested in visiting the English countryside, I highly recommend you see the places I explored three years ago. Before I move on to this year’s countryside adventures, I concocted a small #travelthrowback photo summary with the tiny bit of information that my long-term memory remembers.

Here are my countryside must-sees!

Stonehenge

Or the mystery of how prehistoric men transported heavy rocks to make a circle.

Bath

Take a peek at the first photo and guess why they named the city that way.

Cambridge and Oxford

York

Chatsworth House

Mr. Darcy’s house in the Pride and Prejudice movie – or where I will get married.

I also visited Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s hometown), but since I don’t have any good photos of the town, I will provide you instead with some gems that I snapped around the countryside…and I dare you to find them!

Other than the small bits of informations that pictures allowed me to recall, I remember Cambridge students rowing down a river. I remember buying Pride and Prejudice in Chatsworth House’s tourist shop. And I remember our tour guide, Simon, who made our minds wander with all his beautiful stories spoken with a true english accent. We loved him so much we booked him for our trip this year!

But still, I find it crazy that I remember so little.

If you are travelling, enjoy the present moment, for the feelings of amazement will last, but memories will unfortunately fade. Still, those feelings have got to be pretty strong for us to always want to make new fading travelling memories.

For a couple of weekends now, I’ve been happily waking up to a lightly bright room. The sun shyly peeks through my curtains and I can’t help but start my days smiling!

Stepping on my balcony still in slippers, I love inhaling the smell of freshly cut grass and flowers showing their crazy beautifulness in my backyard tree.

Spring brings newborn sunshine, late afternoon thunderstorms and starry nights out, or to put it simply, a lot of things that I adore. With its arrival, I store my obsession for soups and stews far away in my freezer and bring out my creative salad-making skills! While you can read my last summer’s salad inventions here, here and here, get ready for a whole new delicious one below!

The Spring Veggies Salad Bowl

Serves 3

Ingredients for the salad

1/2 cup of barley

A handful of baby tomatoes

3 peeled carrots

Your favourite salad: roquette, baby spinach…

1 cinnamon and paprika sweet potato (baked)

1/3 cup of sunflower seeds

1/2 cup of raisins

1/2 avocado

Ingredients for the dressing

The juice of a lime

2 tablespoons of tamari

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Pepper to taste

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

Wash the sweet potato and cut it into chunks. Place your sweet potato chunks onto a baking tray and cover with olive oil, 1 tablespoon of paprika and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Mix it all together. When your oven is ready, bake for about forty minutes, and make sure to turn them over halfway through so that they are evenly cooked.

While the sweet potatoes are on the go, bring 1 1/4 cup of water to a boil. Once it is boiling, pour the barley into the water and simmer for 40 minutes.

Once your potatoes and barley are cooked, let them cool for a little while before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.

Peel your carrots into long slices, chop your tomatoes and avocados. Mix all salad ingredients together, then add your cooled potatoes and barley and generously cover with the salad dressing.

Last March, my family and I flew to England, thrilled to visit my little brother after three long months of separation! On his side of the world, Ced was joyfully enjoying the student exchange experience, casually travelling every other weekend and studying “on the side”.

After several hours of plane travelling, my mother, father, little brother and I lined up in front of Ced’s hotel room and knocked impatiently on the door. We heard my brother get up and walk slowly before opening, a big smile on his face. Arms wide he said, “Hi Gab!” and we hugged, so happy.

Thanks to our late arrival, we had the glamorous hotel’s restaurant to ourselves, except for two young women dressed in long sparkly gowns who definitely surprised us with their glitz! We chatted while my brother devoured his huge pasta plate. He had been living the cool & chill hostel life for a couple of weeks now, and his belly was very happy with the fancy food coming in.

London is home to so many beautiful things that I love: classy cabs, lovely accents, tea & biscuits, chatty pubs, ancient architecture… It feels like New York City’s elegant and slightly more mature sister. With its ethnically diverse people, innovative professionals, and student population, the city is always alive and evolving.

Having played tourists in London before, and having done the things to do in London visiting Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and the list goes on, we decided to go for new attractions this time. We payed short visits to the crowded Tate Modern and British Museum, and went up the very expensive Shard Tower.

Crowds in front of the British Museum

But the touristy activities did not even make my top ten list.

What I loved most was seeing the Stomp show, which was refreshingly original, full of movement and surprisingly funny. I cherished spending time with my reunited family. And I adored listening to every single story my jet-setter friends told me.

When I visit a city, I love to put the local’s shoes on, walk his streets, taste his food, sit on his bus, with my beloved camera hooked around my neck ready to take a snap. I put my childish eyes on and feel like I’m discovering the world for the first time. If you like travelling this way, then you should pay a visit to the three neighbourhoods below the next time you’re in London!

Notting Hill

On my first morning in London, I woke up excitedly as I had a very important brunch to attend to. Typical British weather was definitely au rendez-vous that day, but I could only feel sunshine in my heart! I was about to see my friend Véro for the first time in a year in a half; the last time had been during our trip to Italy and Czech Republic. Not much had happened to Véro since then…she had only gotten married, traveled all around Europe and moved to London. Nothing very special right?

I spotted her across the street in Notting Hill, where she lives, happily waving at me. We both ran to the middle of the street, only to be awkwardly separated by a fence forbidding us to hug. Véro pointed towards the right and I followed her, walking all the way to the end of the fence before hugging her and jumping of happiness. Right away, we started talking and laughing about everything. It was like I had seen her the day before.

We had the most delicious healthy brunch at the Farm Girl Cafe, where the relaxed Australian vibe stole my heart. The green turquoise walls and beautiful light coming in on the wood tables take you out of London directly to sunshine country. Behind the bar, on which stands baskets of colourful snacks and a huge coffee machine, the staff cooks the most delicious delicacies. The latte, granola bowl, and avocado toast were heaven.

It only makes sense that the cutest breakfast place is located in Notting Hill, where you could spend your days observing adorable things! At this time of the year, blooming cherry blossom trees stand beautifully before adorable houses painted in pastel colours. Independent coffee shops pop everywhere; we grabbed a coffee for Véro’s husband at one of those before heading to their apartment where we chatted for a couple of hours until they had to leave for a vacation in Japan and I had to get back to my family.

Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden

Before flying off to her next destination, Véro revealed London’s best kept secret to me: Neal’s Yard. I shared the tip with my family over breakfast the next morning and with the trick of a photo, they were on board to visit Covent Garden’s small alley.

One step in, and you’ve entered London’s colour fantasy land. It is breathtakingly different and beautiful. The houses are all painted in different colours that fit with one another even though they are never the same. Flora grows on brick walls, picnic tables and balconies, and festive light bulbs strings connect houses.

Me in front of yummy 26 Grains

Soho

My mother, father and little brother love afternoon napping when they travel. I am starting to think that in their previous lives, they lived in Southern Europe where they invented the siesta. While all of this is very exciting, my brother Ced and I prefer staying out and walking till we can’t cause our feet burn!

On a beautiful afternoon, after a quick lunch with the fam at a cafe, Ced and I walked around Soho for hours, losing track of time. We loved it! The neighbourhood is full of life, amusement, shops and restaurants. I felt a New York vibe there, and I do love that city!

We walked and walked and walked, stopped to listen to a guy rapping in the street, crowds cheering all around. I took a bunch of pictures. We finally talked about Ced’s exchange experience and discussed our future, hopes and dreams.

That night, we had another lovely family dinner at Arbutus, where the food was exquisitely delicious. The next day, we would leave for Birmingham to visit my brother’s new campus home, and would then get on the road and discover the charming countryside of England.

My two little brothers loving their huge platter of sea food!

That’s when my head started to get pretty dreamy. What can I say, I love embarking imaginary trains to Hogwarts every now and then. Can anyone blame me?

After almost two weeks of traveling around Maui, island of lovers, and Oahu, island of excitement, Ania and I landed in Kauai on a dark evening. From the airport, a chatty teenager drove us to our rental car agency where a newly married girl and her boss expressed their gratefulness for our visit on their beautiful island. “You’ll see, the girl said excitedly, Kauai will soon become your favorite hawaiian island. There is really nowhere else like here!” And she was right, Kauai did become my favorite island. There is something magical about its seemingly unexplored and uninhabited wilderness and the infinite possibilities that it holds.

Our cottage for the week was hidden far away between mountains, in the middle of a twisting road puzzle. When we finally got there, a small light lite up on the second floor of the residence. We got out of our car and said hello to the women stepping on her balcony to greet us. We were happy to have arrived safely and were ready to sleep.

Later that night while falling asleep to the sound of the reassuring air fan, a loud alarm abruptly woke us up. Ania jumped up next to me and screamed “Oh my God Gab, what is happening?!?” Still confused about whether this was a weird dream or not, I moved my shoulders up expressing I had no idea. We went back to sleep, but the minute round two started, we decided that we needed to do something.

After calling the owners ten times in a row without answer, we started imagining every scenario possible. Maybe this was a robber alarm…we had been swiping on Tinder earlier and thought that one creepy guy might have tracked us down. “No, I said, they can’t find out our exact location.” We discarded that theory and checked if something was burning instead but found nothing out of the ordinary. “I’m scared, Ania said, maybe it’s a gas alarm and we can’t see the gas and we’re going to die intoxicated in our sleep!” At that point, we just couldn’t go back to bed.

We put our flip flops on and walked out of the house. We didn’t see a thing and didn’t know where to go because we were only guided by the moonlight and our faint iPhone light. Desperate, Ania yelled the name of the owner, trying to wake our host family up. Immediately, dogs barked and I swear I heard a wolf howl! I grabbed her arm, we screamed in panic, and ran back to the house almost losing our flip flops along the way. That’s it, we were done playing heroes!

We took every alarm off the walls, deactivated them and went back to bed, still worried but exhausted. The next morning, the man owner apologized endlessly and told us that he had been testing a new alarm system that obviously wasn’t working well. We were relieved that no weird fire or monster was after us.

We gazed at our peaceful surroundings, the avocado trees, the wild vegetation and chickens walking around the cottage like they owned the place and let all our stress go. Without even trying to look decent, we packed our daily backpack and went to the tiny town of Kapaa for breakfast at Java Kai.

Breakfast at Java Kai

Hiking the Na Pali Coast

Being prudent planners, we asked our host for advice before starting our Kauai exploration. Gladly, the nice man revealed that Kauai could be very unpredictable and that lately, mother nature had been playing funny weather games. The island suffered from flooding and rumors of a possible tsunami was going around. He suggested that we review our grand hiking expectations and be careful before embarking on adventures we weren’t prepared for.

His precious advice in mind, we drove to the Na Pali Coast but it was almost noon when we finished circling around to find parking next to the hiking trail. We were disappointed that we wouldn’t have enough time to reach the beautiful Hanakapiʻai Beach before feeling hungry, but we decided to go for a short hike anyways.

Even if we didn’t reach the beach, hiking the Na Pali Coast to the first view point was worth it, and allowed us to take these gorgeous pictures…

We hiked back down and stopped for lunch in the small town of Hanalei, walked around all afternoon and went to bed early, very grateful that no alarm woke us up this time.

Finding peace at the Sleeping Giant

On our second day, we grabbed a couple of old brownish touristy books laying around in our cottage and left on the quest to find the perfect short hike. A couple of pages flipped later, I gently tapped on Ania’s arm and pointed to the travel guide. “Look, I said, this is so cool! At the top of the Sleeping Giant mountain, there is a box where we can deposit a small prayer!” Ania and I suddenly got very excited about the opportunity of leaving a trace somewhere on Kauai, and quickly grabbed our pro hiking gear (running shoes!), some paper and a pen, and drove to the trail.

By the time we got to the Sleeping Giant, the sun was out and shining. We hiked in the heat and sweat for about an hour, endlessly talking, trying to stay on the right path, sometimes even climbing on strange rocks, hoping our trail radar was on track.

When we arrived at the top, it was like fairytale land: three kids were running around playing together while their moms were setting a picnic. We looked around for the prayer box, behind trees, bushes and flowers, but unfortunately couldn’t find it.

In the end, finding the box didn’t really matter. We were so glad that we had hiked all this way and had a taste of the fresh air, silence and joy. We sat on the Respect Kauai wood bench and gazed at the beautiful view in silence, happy to be where we needed to be.

On our arrival in Kauai, our hosts had informed us of a beautiful waterfall hidden very close to their cottage, which got us very excited. We would only have to hike a couple of minutes to get to our destination and so we planned this perfect adventure for our last day. Hair tided up, flip flops and bathing suit on, towel under our arms, we headed towards our secluded waterfall.

After 20 minutes of actively looking for the waterfall alone in the forest, hiking on muddy flip flops, stepping over twisted branches and pointy rocks, we wondered if we were lost. Fortunately, we heard voices getting closer.

A group of 3 women approached us and invited us to follow them to the hidden Ho’opi’i Falls. One of them was a local, and she couldn’t wait to share the waterfall experience with her two friends visiting from other Hawaiian islands. After climbing for a couple more miles, and decrypting strange code language such as an Arizona bottle directing us into the right path, we finally reached the beautiful falls, where the women shared with us their mosquito bite lotion, since our legs had been completely eaten by the little bugs.

Our super trendy water shoes on, we climbed on the waterfall rocks and then jumped in the cold green water. We swam towards the Tarzan rope where I took a couple more minutes than Ania to climb up the rope and laid there, circling around with it. “Climb higher! Ania said, you can do it Gab!” But that was it for me, I was perfectly happy at this moderate height.

Other visitors had now joined us in the waterfall, and they all looked impressed by Ania’s rope climbing skills, as she gracefully lay up there, smiling. When she jumped off and swam towards me, the other visitors grabbed the rope and swung themselves into the water making huge splashes.

We were gathering our stuff and starting to head back when a random guy yelled at us. “Hey girls!” We looked at each other, wandering what he was going to say. “Be careful climbing back in flip flops!” he added with a half smile. We thanked him for his precious advice and got on our way. He didn’t need to worry. After spending 4 days on Kauai, we had become professional flip flop climbers.

Kauai restaurant suggestions for the foodie

Food trucks Al Pastor Tacos and Small Town Coffee Co.

Food trucks are so great because they make you feel like you have found a restaurant that isn’t there to stay, and therefore you should absolutely enjoy every single bit of food, since you might never have the opportunity to taste it again. Also, you kind of feel like you have found a secret gipsy place, which is very cool.

Small Town Coffee Co. has coffee and pastries that will wake you up with their absolute goodness, that you can enjoy sitting at the few wood tables under the morning sunshine. Also, a very cool thing happened to us there: a man mistook us for two Brazilians. We must have looked very tan and our French Canadian accent very exotic!

Java Kai

Breakfast at Java Kai was perfect for us since the place was located just a short drive away from our cottage in Kapaa. They serve lattes with white floral designs on top like we like them, and a large selection of smoothies and juices that will reboot you with fruity energy!

Tahiti Nui

We unfortunately couldn’t eat at Tahiti Nui since we arrived at a random time in the afternoon where they didn’t serve food, but it is very cool since Georges Clooney was there in the movie The Descendants.

Olympic Cafe

Even if Ania and I are two single women in our mid-twenties, we surprisingly did not seek a lot of boy action during our adventurous trip to Hawaii. Actually, the action came to us when we did not expect it, during a night out at the Olympic Cafe.

It was our last night in Hawaii, and we had promised ourselves that after days of coming back home, eating light homemade dinners and hopping into bed after watching television shows on the dangers of sharks and flash floods, we had to at least try to find some nightlife. So we put on our usual jumpsuits and flip flops and went makeup free for a casual night out in the town.

Walking around calm Kappa, the Olympic Cafe stood out with its open-air second floor terrace. We entered to find out that most tables were filled out with people cheerfully drinking beers, loudly talking and watching sports. We stood at the entrance in our cute jumpsuits, not really fitting in but so happy to experience something new and fun.

The waiter sat us down at the bar where we ordered two large Lava Flow drinks. I don’t know if the cool drinks did the trick, but the man next to us started a conversation.

Turns out he was a young professional who had studied and worked a 9-to-5 job in Florida only to realize he did not want that life and had decided to come back to Kauai to live as an adventure tour guide. That night, we chatted for hours learning very useful information, such as what to do if a tsunami hit us the next day, and how dangerous flash floods are, which were very big concerns of ours. We also asked him why there were so many chicken running free on Hawaii, but this mystery was unfortunately left unsolved.

The next morning, we left beautiful and peaceful Hawaii, paradise of wild chicken and blooming friendships. Recharged with positive and calm energy, we were ready to get back to our friends and family.

After a very peaceful stay in Maui, Ania, Manu and I were more than ready to experience the liveliness of Oahu! Before hopping on the plane, we got drinks at Maui’s airport where the funny waitress suggested we get just one more drink to celebrate our upcoming adventures! We were pumped.

After landing in Honolulu, we walked on the large sidewalks ornamented by glorious palm trees and gazed at the tall luminous buildings we had never expected to see. Hawaii was supposed to be the state of nature, hikes and beaches. Who knew that a real city could hide among all of this?

On our first night out, we were determined to experience amazing nightlife. After eating late at a restaurant, we got in line for a rooftop bar but soon left feeling underdressed in our flowy dresses that couldn’t compete with the tight ones all around. We then tried a pub blasting bad rock music, which we left our ears in pain. But it was only when we talked to strange boys on the street who didn’t even know where Canada was on a map, that we got our cue to go home.

We decided we needed to relax and go with the flow; trying to find a specific experience would only leave us disappointed. We had to open ourselves to the hawaiian magic. And honestly, being in paradise with two amazing friends was more than enough happiness!

5 days in Oahu

Waikiki Beach

Waikiki Beach is where the tourists hang! A lot of trendy restaurants and hotels with infinity pools are located beside the busy beach where people come to watch the sunset at the end of the day. However, if you’re looking for tranquility, let me tell you this is not it. It’s even hard to find a tiny spot to lay down and read on your beach towel. For this purpose, I encourage you to find your own secret beach elsewhere on the island!

Waikiki is the perfect central place to stay, eat and shop! Manu, Ania and I loved having brunch and dinner in the area, and chatting endlessly at night, while walking on the streets or sitting late on the beach.

But really, you should rent a car and venture outside of the crowded place to experience the true amazingness and wilderness of Oahu.

The North Shore

It feels amazing to find calm and beauty just outside of a busy city like Honolulu.

On our way to the North Shore, we first stopped to have lunch at a food truck paradise. According to their information signs, they had world famous everything…shrimps, fish n’ chips, smoothies, coconuts… Hungry, we shared seafood and rice and ate on a picnic table all warmed up by sunshine.

We then left to explore the North Shore. I fell in love with surfer town Haleiwa, where we entered every single small shop and marvelled at the idea of having ice cream every time we walked past a gelato place.

We decided to take our beach break at Waimea Bay, where we watched young cliff jumpers yell their joy before taking the plunge of their life!

Entering the ocean, we were so grateful for the turquoise water running on our sun-kissed skin and the joy of having nothing to do but gaze at the beauty of the place and enjoy the present moment. We spent hours alternating between lying on the sand and swimming as far as we could.

Diamond Head Crater

Our stay in Oahu was sadly coming to an end. But with us, it ain’t over till it’s over! A few hours before Manu had to leave Ania and I to go back home, we spontaneously decided to go on a hike. We had been running pretty smoothly for the last couple of days, taking the car to see beautiful views across the island, sunbathing and swimming … we now wanted to get our heart racing.

Starting our hike at the Diamond Head Crater, we didn’t expect to be so amazed by the beauty of everything. Everywhere we turned along the way, something more beautiful was awaiting us.

At the top, the city view was simply breathtaking!

Just when we thought it was all over, we saw a beautiful rainbow crossing the dazzling scenery. It was like a happy goodbye to Manu! Life can be pretty surprising sometimes.

Oahu Restaurant Suggestions for the Foodie

In Oahu, every brunch, lunch and dinner, was marvelously yummy! I am a pretty die-hard fan of brunch so I assembled our favorite brunch places in Oahu here for you…

Honolulu Coffee (at the Moana Surfrider)

Hawaiian Acai Bowl are heaven for smoothie lovers like me. They are a mix of Acai and almond milk, topped with granola, bananas, strawberries, honey… Try one at the Honolulu Coffee located at the Moana Surfrider, along with a large bowl of warm Macadamia Nut Coffee. You’ll just want to say awwww.

Leonard’s Bakery and Kaimana Farm Cafe

Leonard’s Bakery‘s sugar-crusted doughnuts melt in your hands and in your mouth. The fillings are so delicious, you’ll want to eat way more than your belly can handle! We picked up our pink box and brought it along with us to the Kaimana Farm Cafe. The place is so calm, cozy and cute, with its large wood tables and big chalkboards, where the healthy menu is beautifully drawn.

Heavenly

It was so heavenly that Heavenly was located right outside of our apartment! We went for dinner and…went again for brunch! They kind of had me at local and organic. And the surfboards hanging on the walls make the place look très très cool.

Delicious food is not hard to find in Oahu! From food trucks, to local and organic smoothies, to chocolate cheesecakes at the Cheesecake Factory, you won’t likely be disappointed. My own tummy was pretty satisfied! You should also give a try to…

Bills for delicious brunch in a large space with bright light coming in from the big windows.

About a year ago, always freezing or slightly slipping on canadian ice, my friend Ania and I daydreamed of traveling far away. Looking at our world map, the Hawaii idea scored so high on our bikini test that we booked our plane tickets immediately for an escapade in September!

We arrived to our first island, Maui, after a delayed flight, an unplanned night at the airport’s hotel and two hours of waiting for our rented car in line behind a crowd of sweaty tourists. We drove to our airbnb and, exhausted but cheerful, we jumped into the arms of our friend Manu.

As we walked on the beach that same evening, we curiously observed a couple exchange vows. The few wedding guests were dressed so casually it blew our minds. The bottom of the bride’s dress was covered in sand but she did not seem to notice, her large smile making everyone forget this unimportant detail. Looking back, this scenery embodied Maui perfectly: a very relaxed and carefree paradise for lovers. As for us, with no serious masculine lovers in mind, we celebrated our friendship and the simple beauty of life on Maui!

5 days in Maui

The Road to Hana

After a good first night of sleep, we went for the most touristy activity on Maui: driving to the town of Hana. The attraction isn’t the town itself, but the stops you make along the way.

We drove from 8AM to 11AM and first stopped at a food stand to share a mango smoothie and chat with the owners, who lived a tranquil life of farming and smoothie-making in the wilderness.

Fascinated by their simple lifestyle, we savored the mango delicacy while inquiring about their life and asking for Road-to-Hana advice. Back in the car, heads full of inspiring thoughts, we drove past the town of Hana to the Seven Sacred Pools. Unfortunately, the attraction was half closed and we couldn’t see a pool clearly. A little tired from all the driving, we went back on the road we came from and promised ourselves to stop soon for a picnic.

To our delight, we found Black Sand Beach, which opens with views of greens and blues. Wild vegetation grows at the edge of a beautiful cliff at the bottom of which lies a beach of dark sand and calm waves of turquoise water.

We sat at a picnic table and happily ate our sandwiches. We then walked to the edge of the cliff and down to the beach to swim along with the other happy tourists. After hours of driving, it felt heavenly.

Our clothes decorated with black sand and our hearts filled with amazement, we got back to the car.

A couple of miles later, we found a hidden waterfall and felt the excitement rush in immediately. Dressed in nothing but swimsuits, we carefully stepped on the rocks at the edge of the waterfall pool to plunge in the greenish water.

Road to Hana advice:

Choose a sunny day, leave early, have a good motivated driver and stop when you feel like it on the road. You can plan your stops in advance, but depending on the number of tourists there when you stop, you might change your mind. Most of all, enjoy the beauty of the ride! Bring your swimsuit, beach towel, water shoes, flip flops, running shoes, snacks and music for the road trip.

Beach Days & Surfer Towns

In Maui, we spent a lot of time unwinding at the beach, swimming and snorkeling. My personal favorite beach on Maui is Wailea Beach. There, we played the photographer game for a little while…

We spent mornings lying on the beach and afternoons walking around in adorable hawaiian surfer towns, where the cool relaxed people hang out and the sun always shines. We joyfully visited adorable boutiques and fell in love with Sand People and Honolulu Cookies (hello free cookie samples!). The town of Lahaina was the most lively!

Sunset at the Haleakala Crater

On our last day in Maui, we drove to the top of the Haleakala Crater to watch the sunset. The end goal was worth it, but the road to get there was a total challenge. It brought us so high and twisted and turned so much that our driver Ania stopped seeing straight at some point. We told her that we could drive back down anytime and forget about the sunset, but she wanted to keep on driving up and so we did.

When we finally arrived, what we found took our breath away: beauty, silence and pure air. In our daily lives, we’re always surrounded by noise and visual overload. Car noise, heating noise, chatting noise. Computer screens, phone screens and ads on many corners. On the top of the Haleakala Crater, there was only silence. The air was pure and the over-the-clouds view so peaceful and unique, I took one deep breath and promised myself to always remember this moment and go back to it whenever I needed to find peace and calm in my life.

Haleakala Crater Advice

A lot of people say that sunrise at the Haleakala Crater is one of the most beautiful spectacles they’ve ever seen. While I encourage you to go for sunrise, keep in mind that you will be driving a twisting road that you don’t know in the dark. A splendid sunset is a bit trickier to attend because it tends to get cloudy in the afternoon and you might not be able to see it because of the clouds. But if it is a cloudy day, go either way! The experience is too unique to miss.

Maui Restaurant Suggestions for the foodie

Being food and nightlife lovers, Ania, Manu and I found the yummiest restaurants on the island. We loved Tommy Bahama, Duke’s and Hula Grill, which serve popular but delicious food. Since we ate a lot of fried delicacies during the trip and craved vegetables to balance it out, we became fans of Duke’s salad bar.

Paia Fish Market is a heaven for fish lovers. Located in the cute town of Paia, this casual restaurant serves large plates of fresh seafood at a very reasonable price. The people are very chatty and you sit on large tables that are always full.

In Maui, we were a carefree and simply happy. Stay tuned for a Oahu and Kauai travel guide!

I love waking up in the darkness every morning and watching the sun rise as I prepare my warm water with lemon. I love going out in the crisp fresh air and breathing in the new day while walking to the metro station. And after a good day of work, I love coming home and cooking something warm and homy. It allows me to unwind and disconnect from my day.

Recently, I’ve been pretty busy and I feel like I rush more, and I’m having a harder time completely disconnecting from everything I have to do to truly enjoy cooking and eating.

Yesterday, I went for a swim after work and while walking home under the heavy rain, feeling amazingly good (because that’s how swimming will make you feel!), I weirdly just wanted to eat warm, comforting oatmeal. So I cooked this super simple oatmeal recipe in 15 minutes and accompanied it with a green bean salad. Then, I sat down to eat while pinning inspirational fall photos and reading the latest news online and felt peaceful and super happy.

Here is my version of happiness in a bowl for 1 (make the quantities vary according to your hunger level):

1/3 cup Oatmeal

2/3 cup Water

Frozen blueberries

Maple Syrup

Walnuts

Bring water to a boil and add the oatmeal, reduce the heat and cook for 10-15 minutes (follow the cooking instructions on your oatmeal box).

When you’re done, add as many blueberries, chopped walnuts and maple syrup as it makes you happy!

On the side, I prepared this simple salad. Just mix all ingredients together:

Kale

Black beans

Chopped cucumbers

Maple Syrup

Olive Oil

Black Pepper

It was my perfect fall dinner, if you can call that a dinner. Who decided what a dinner needed to look like anyways, right? Always eat what you’re body tells you will make you feel happy!

Last October, I took a plane to Milan to visit my friend Vero who’s been traveling with her boyfriend for over a year now (you can read her AMAZING adventures here). Even if we’d only been apart for a few months, we couldn’t wait to be reunited!

Goofing around

at Colonne Di San Lorenzo,

Milan’s best open-air pub!

After a couple of days in Italy, Vero and I packed our bags and flew to Czech Republic where we visited fairytale-looking Prague and Cesky Krumlov. We walked around carrying our large backpacks and slept on not-so-comfy hostel beds. A little exhausted from this adventurous journey, we couldn’t wait for our yoga retreat in Pocátky!

So we hopped on the train and arrived at this lost-in-the-wild station. There a nice man picked us up and drove us to the Resort Svatá Katerina where we’d spend an enchanting weekend. We stepped outside of the car, gazing at the forests and valleys surrounding the resort and breathing in October’s crisp and fresh air. Peacefulness was all around…

Our Yoga Detox Weekend package included 5 yoga classes, cleansing vegan meals, a lecture on the benefits of yoga and detoxification and access to the spa and its relaxing baths.

The Yoga Classes

We arrived at our first yoga class, unrolled our mats and sat down, eyes closed. After hearing the first words of class, we looked at each other, eyes wide…the teacher was only speaking czech! We learned on the spot that all our yoga classes were going to be taught in this beautiful but puzzling language. In the end, it was a great surprise as it made the experience truly authentic … we laughed it out! The yoga classes were of a beginner-intermediate level, the retreat is for everyone just willing to unwind!

The Rooms

The rooms were modest but very comfortable, and most importantly, the beds were heaven to us after sleeping at hostels the previous days. Let me just say we slept like exhausted children our entire stay!

The Food

When we peeked at the menu and read that purees, wheatgrass juices, porridge, and detox teas were about the only things that would fill our stomachs for the next 3 days, we didn’t know how our bodies would react. However, our verdict was surprisingly positive! Every meal left us nourished but never full, which is an unusual feeling I promise your body will learn to love!

A few tips if you plan on doing a yoga detox weekend…

Don’t bring much. It’s THE occasion to pack essentials only. Makeup will be a no-no, feel natural and free! As for clothing, bring 2 pairs of yoga pants, running shoes to walk around, flip-flops for the spa, 2 yoga shirts, a hoodie and a raincoat.

Stick with the detox food, even if people around are eating delicious-looking chocolate fondants. You’ll feel light and recharged in the end.

Have a massage…and even a head massage ;)

Finally, breathe in as much fresh air as possible. Enjoy the present moment!

You can book you own yoga retreat on the BookYogaRetreat website, where we found ours. They have packages from all over the world and some of them, like the one at Resort Svatá Katerina are very affordable! You’ll step out of your comfort zone and be glad you took time to focus on your body and mind (which we often forget to do while traveling intensely). You will go back home, ready to face many new challenges.